Exploring Censorship of Internet Search Engines

Although search engine results can number in the hundreds of millions, no search engine will return all relevant results.  Beyond just the technical limitations of the search engine itself, the results of a search are also shaped by the economic, political, and legal pressures placed on the search engine company.

Censorship Methods

The information found through use of search engines can be limited at almost every level of the internet.  Whether the web page designer seeks to keep search engines out, or the search engine company wants to limit its liability for violation of the law, or a nation seeks to prevent certain information from coming in, the flexibility of search engine technology makes it all possible. [Click to explore Search Engine Censorship Methods]

Government Censorship

Even the most democratic nations in the world employ at least some level of censorship of information that reaches end-users.  Though few specifically target search engine companies with regularity in their search engine capacity, as the internet grows so to grows the the world's dependency upon the technology for information and governments' interest in controlling the flow of this information. [Click to explore Government Censorship]